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Annual Report 2010/11 2010-2011 Annual Report PO Box 568 Dulwich Hill NSW 2203 Tel: 02 9564 0594 Fax: 02 9564 0195 www.antar.org.au antar@antar.org.au ABN 24185 038 309 Cover Artwork Wintjiya Napaltjarri Untitled Etching on paper 2010 33 x 25cm Paper Size 55 x 45cm Edition of 40 ANTaR supports Papunya Tula Artists and the Papunya Tula Artists Aged Care Program through our Merchandise Program. Papunya Tula Artists - Founders of the Central and Western Desert Art Movement Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd is entirely Aboriginal owned and directed. Formed in 1972, the company promotes individual artists, provides economic development for the communities to which they belong and assists in the maintenance of a rich cultural heritage. The company has 49 shareholders and represents around 120 traditional Western Desert artists, predominantly of the Luritja and Pintupi language groups. Its name is derived from its origin in the government settlement of Papunya, 240km west-north-west of Alice Springs. Since that time most artists have returned to live on their traditional lands further west, in the communities of Kintore and Kiwirrkura. Papunya Tula Artists Aged Care Program Papunya Tula Artists Aged Care Program supports aged and frail artists to maintain and improve their quality of life. The Aged Care Program finances artists’ specialised care and accommodation for daily living and extends to include the provision of health professionals for assisted travel back to ancestral country. The program is the latest community care initiative of Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd furthering its key foundation and ongoing support to the Western Desert dialysis provider Western Desert Nganampa Walytja Palyantjaku Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation, the Kintore Pool and many other community activities and events. The popular success of the art movement empowers Papunya Tula Artists to support the wellbeing and autonomy of thousands of Western Desert people. Supporting the rights and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. www.antar.org.au Index National President’s Report 6 National Director’s Report 7 About ANTaR National 9 Why we are here 9 Our Vision 9 Our Purpose 9 Our Goals 9 What we do 9 Campaigns 10 Are We There Yet? 10 Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 10 A Better Way 13 Reducing Imprisonment Rates 14 Online engagement 16 Website 16 Social Media 17 ANTaR Publications 18 ANTaR’s Rights Stuff Merchandise Program 20 ANTaR National Financial Report 22 ANTaR National Governance 25 Update from State and Territory Affiliates 26 ACT 26 NSW 27 Queensland 28 South Australia 29 Victoria 30 Western Australia 32 Special Thank You 33 Regular Volunteers 33 ANTaR National Staff 34 ANTaR State and Territory contact details 34 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 NATIONAL PRESIDENT’S REPORT This year ANTaR has seen a continuation of its important work as a national voice working in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Through the fine work of our staff, national committee members and volunteers we have demonstrated leadership in policy work, research and community campaigns that seek justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and just relationships between our peoples. The coming years will be critical for us as the long-ignored question of constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is being considered by all of us. As to what referendum questions and what form of constitutional changes will be put forward by the You Me Unity Panel and the Federal Parliament remains to be seen but the opportunity to ‘re-think the nation’ has sparked interest throughout Australia. It is an important conversation and a further step along the path of real reconciliation. We have continued to work closely with our partners in various national campaigns such as our efforts to promote a better future and A Better Way for Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, our Justice Re-investment campaign to reduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment rates and our ongoing work with the Close the Gap coalition for health equality. We have begun implementing our strategic plan, have further improved our management and governance systems, our communication and our shop-front services. The media continues to refer to our expertise on a variety of issues concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But with many successes has also come some sadness as we note the passing of one of our longterm grass-root workers, Krysti Guest, and respected Aboriginal elder Allan Carriage, the partner of my predecessor, Janet Hunt. A big note of thanks must go to our National Director Jacqui Phillips who has demonstrated outstanding policy expertise and media savvy throughout the year. Thanks are also due to all the ANTaR staff who have worked with real commitment and enthusiasm, including to Andrew Bartlett who worked on our campaigns for half the year and our new campaigns coordinator Emma Franklin, all our dedicated and multi-talented volunteers, and my fellow members of the Executive and National Management Committees for their continuing support and leadership. And most of all, thanks to the donors and supporters without whom we could not do any of this. Your contributions are making a difference. Dr Peter Lewis 6 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 NATIONAL DIRECTOR’S REPORT It has been a busy, exciting and productive year for ANTaR National. With support from the National Management Committee, the National Office has been working to campaign more effectively, raise our organisational profile, expand our supporter base, strengthen our relationships with key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and organisations and ensure ANTaR National operates sustainably now, and into the future. Together with a range of Aboriginal organisations and leaders, we have campaigned for changes to the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER), to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in prison and for Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We have also engaged in public policy debate across a broad range of other issues in the media and in our public advocacy. There were a number of highlights throughout the 2010-11 financial year. In October 2010, we launched our A Better Way booklet in Darwin to showcase successful Aboriginal community organisations in the Northern Territory and highlight alternatives to Government intervention. The launch was attended by representatives from a range of Aboriginal organisations and the NT Government and attracted significant media interest. The project was a great opportunity for ANTaR to strengthen our relationships with Aboriginal organisations in the NT and work in partnership to maximise the impact of our advocacy. Our sincere thanks to all those organisations who participated in the project and shared their stores, and to the staff and National Management Committee members who provided guidance along the way. In November, Professor Patrick Dodson launched ANTaR National’s ‘Are we there yet’ report on Australia’s progress towards reconciliation, ten years on from the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation’s final report and reconciliation blueprint. Constitutional recognition was identified as a key item of unfinished business in our report and was a focus for our advocacy throughout the year. To raise awareness about possible reforms, we published community education materials including factsheets and distributed 160,000 campaign postcards nationally to raise awareness and encourage community engagement. It is a privilege to be ANTaR National Director at this exciting time in our nation’s history, as we consider possible changes to our nation’s founding document, to recognise our past and look to our shared future. In April 2011, I launched ANTaR National’s campaign to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in prisons and juvenile detention centres at a rally in Perth to mark 20 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. On the same day, we released a National Call to Action endorsed by a range of national human rights, legal and Aboriginal organisations calling on the Government to reduce imprisonment rates through a range of evidence-based strategies. The rally saw hundreds of people marching the streets to draw attention to the fact that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are 28 times more likely to be imprisoned than non-Indigenous Australians and that Aboriginal young people comprise 58% of the juvenile detainee population. As Federal AttorneyGeneral Robert McClelland recently reflected, this is ‘a national shame.’ I believe this is one of the most urgent issues confronting Aboriginal people across the country, and also one of ANTaR’s most important campaigns. 7 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 The 2010-11 financial year also saw improved fundraising and merchandise trends, increased online engagement through more strategic use of Facebook, Twitter, our website and online actions. Regular e-bulletins have improved communications to members as well as our organisational transparency and accountability. We have also worked to increase our political influence through strategic lobbying of Government Ministers, Shadow Ministers, Greens and independents. In all of our campaign activities we have sought to build alliances and work collaboratively with key Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and leaders. With Oxfam Australia, we have provided secretariat support to the National NGO Network on Constitutional Recognition, organising a series of roundtables and promoting the exchange of information within the network. We have also worked closely with a number of Aboriginal legal services and advocates in our imprisonment campaign planning and advocacy. Our work on the future of the Northern Territory Emergency Response has been informed by the views of Aboriginal organisations and leaders on the ground. We have also sought to improve coordination between national and state campaign activities, particularly around imprisonment, to maximise our impact and ensure consistent messaging. It has been wonderful to get to know my colleagues in the state and territory ANTaR branches during this process and I look forward to continuing to work closely together on a range of issues of common concern. It has also been a big year for policy and submission writing, with the publication of more than 20 papers, submissions, speeches and opinion pieces including some major publications on the Northern Territory, reconciliation, economic development, native title and our first submission to the Federal Budget process in some years. My sincere thanks to the ANTaR staff and volunteers who have made all this possible and who have met various organisational challenges with patience, grace and humour. Thanks also to our many volunteers who regularly give up their time to assist in the office and at ANTaR events. Your commitment makes ANTaR what it is – an organisation founded on the passion and commitment of community supporters. To the former and current Presidents, Dr Janet Hunt and Dr Peter Lewis, many thanks for your support and advice throughout the year. Particular thanks to Janet who, despite personally experiencing a very difficult year, has maintained her resolve, commitment and support. In doing so, she has been an inspiration to us all. Finally, I express my deep appreciation to our donors who make ANTaR’s work possible. Jacqueline Phillips 8 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ABOUT ANTaR NATIONAL ANTaR is a national advocacy organisation dedicated to respecting the rights, and addressing the disadvantage, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. ANTaR has been working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and leaders on rights and reconciliation issues since 1997. WHY WE ARE HERE ANTaR exists to work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to advocate for rights, justice and reconciliation. influence public opinion and policy, and to strengthen a new generation of activists. 3. To operate sustainably and effectively. 4. To achieve broad support for our vision within a generation. ANTaR’s primary public campaign in its early years was the Sea of Hands. WHAT WE DO ANTaR’s work remains essential due to the fact that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience injustice and disadvantage. ANTaR seeks to persuade governments, through advocacy and lobbying, to show genuine leadership and build cross-party commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy. OUR VISION An Australia where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enjoy the same life chances as other Australians, and where inherent rights to selfdetermination, land and culture are recognised and upheld. OUR PURPOSE ANTaR listens to and supports the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and works to educate the wider community, shape public opinion, speak up against injustice and influence public policy to advance our vision. ANTaR is an independent national organisation, with affiliates in states and territories. OUR GOALS 1. To support the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ voices to be heard. 2. To reignite a social movement to achieve social justice, to encourage and give a voice to all those Australians committed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and reconciliation, to mobilise support for public campaigns, to ANTaR’s focus is on changing the attitudes and behaviours of non-Indigenous Australians so that the rights and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are respected and affirmed across all the community. ANTaR works to generate in Australia a moral and legal recognition of, and respect for, the distinctive status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as First Peoples. ANTaR is a non-government, not-for-profit, community-based organisation. In 2010-11, we have campaigned nationally on a range of issues, including to: reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal people in prison; achieve Constitutional change to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and remove racial discrimination; transition the Northern Territory Intervention into a sustainable community development strategy; and reform native title laws to improve outcomes for Aboriginal communities. 9 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR’s campaigns are: • Evidence-based • Inclusive and non-partisan • Respectful • Collaborative • Characterised by professional excellence • Shaped by human rights principles and values of compassion, fairness, equality and freedom. CAMPAIGNS In 2010/2011, ANTaR’s national campaigns have been overseen by the National Director, the Campaigns Managers and Coordinators, and the Campaign Sub-Committees (comprised of representatives from the National Management Committee). Are We There Yet? Ten years after Corroboree 2000, ANTaR launched a year of recommitment to reconciliation in 2010. In doing so, we sought to reignite public enthusiasm for reconciliation through a range of public campaigns and activities, including the release of our Are we there yet? Reconciliation Progress Report in November 2010. We focused on the unfinished business of reconciliation, in particular, Constitutional reform and a negotiated agreement. Are we there yet? The report, Are We There Yet? called on governments to advance their commitment to ‘resetting’ the relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by developing a clear reconciliation agenda. It made a number of recommendations aimed at resetting relationships, respecting rights and resourcing reconciliation activities and groups. These included a proposed process for negotiated agreement-making, a broad and consultative Constitutional reform process and a plan to close the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health gap. While noting a number of reconciliation high-points in the last decade – most notably the National Apology and bipartisan political support for the Close the Gap campaign to improve Indigenous life expectancy – the report highlights the lack of progress on human rights issues and the failure to build respectful partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The launch of the Report attracted significant media interest and provided a lobbying platform for our advocacy on Constitutional recognition. Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples The Australian Constitution is currently silent on the history, status and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It also contains a number of racially discriminatory provisions. ANTaR aims to rectify this situation through our campaign for Constitutional recognition of the specific status and rights of Australia’s First Peoples and the removal of all racially discriminatory provisions from our Constitution. An Expert Panel was appointed by the Federal government in December 2010 to lead the public debate and consultation on possible options for Constitutional recognition, and will report their findings at the end of 2011. This financial year, ANTaR welcomed the proposed 2013 national referendum on Constitutional reform and recognition, and began participating in the Expert Panel Process, engaging the public in the national conversation and planning for the potential referendum campaign ahead. The referendum, which has received in-principle cross-party support, presents an historic opportunity to address a key element of the ‘unfinished business’ of reconciliation. 10 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 On Thursday 19 May, ANTaR and Oxfam co-hosted a National Roundtable in Sydney to develop campaigning strategies and cooperation opportunities with other organisations. The Roundtable was attended by 25 people representing around 20 different Aboriginal and non-Indigenous organisations, including representatives from the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition. The purpose of the Roundtable was to consider and discuss how interested organisations could work together to build support for constitutional reform, through engagement, consultation, knowledge sharing, and awareness-raising. It involved a briefing from two members of the Expert Panel, Josephine Bourne and Gary Highland, on the role and strategies of the Panel, a group discussion about how organisations could contribute, and options and ideas for next steps. Out of the Roundtable, the National NGO Network on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (‘the Network’) was established. Its membership includes national non-government organisations supportive of Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. At the time of writing, it is comprised of representatives from: Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Local Government Association of Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance Aboriginal Legal Service NSW / ACT National Association of Community Legal Centres Amnesty International National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples ANTaR National Union of Students ANU National Centre for Indigenous Studies NSW Aboriginal Land Council Australian Council of Trade Unions NSW Law Society Australian Education Union NSW Reconciliation Council Australian Human Rights Commission Oxfam Australia Caritas Australia Public Interest Advocacy Centre Community Legal Centres NSW Reconciliation Australia Generation One Red Cross Australia Get Up! Uniting Justice Australia Human Rights Law Centre University of New South Wales Law Council of Australia Women’s Legal Services NSW The purpose of the Network is to promote Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, to coordinate and enable information sharing and communication among Network members, and to collaborate on joint projects and events that seek the promotion of Constitutional recognition. The network will be an important mechanism in the coming months and years in encouraging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people to become involved in the national conversation about 11 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Constitutional change, in increasing education among Australians about Constitutional change, and in forming and executing strategies to make the case for change. The Network is coordinated by a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from ANTaR, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the Australian Human Rights Commission, National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, Oxfam, Reconciliation Australia, Uniting Justice Australia and the UNSW Gilbert + Tobin Centre for Public Law. The Steering Committee has a monthly teleconference and sends out a weekly e-circular to the broader network to sustain continued education, inform people of relevant events, publications and media, and facilitate continued communication and information and resource sharing. Avant Cards ANTaR launched an Avant Card campaign in June 2011, which invited the Australian people to join the national conversation about Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures. The campaign was primarily a community education initiative. However it also encouraged people to participate in the national consultation by filling in a postcard and sending it back to ANTaR to pass on to the Expert Panel. The campaign was accessible to all Australians, but the medium particularly lent itself to engaging young people. The message aimed to be appealing and inclusive. The design drew on ANTaR’s signature ‘Sea of Hands’ motif and incorporated colours from both the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander flags. Avant Card distributed over 150 000 cards through hundreds of urban and regional venues across the country, including cafes, bars, universities, cultural and retail outlets, hotels and hostels. Each individual that signed and returned a card indicated their support for an updated Constitution that recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and is free from racial discrimination. ANTaR received a $20 000 grant from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to assist in funding the design, production and distribution of the postcards. This grant also helped support some state-based reconciliation activities, including reconciliation events in South Australia and ANTaR Victoria’s ‘Let’s re: think the Nation’ postcards also promoting Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 12 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Online campaigning Focusing on the urgent need to maximise popular education concerning Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, ANTaR has used its online media tools to provide our supporters and the online public with a steady stream of information relating to this issue. Through our E-Bulletins, website, events page, Facebook and Twitter, we have discussed and provided links to relevant media and editorials, consultations, academic literature, events, and Expert Panel processes relating to Constitutional change. Our core focus has been getting people involved in the national conversation. A Better Way - Building healthy, safe and sustainable communities in the Northern Territory ANTaR launched A Better Way: Success stories in community control in the Northern Territory at the Northern Territory Supreme Court on 26 October 2010 as the next step in our A Better Way campaign. The Success Stories publication showcases the work of 13 Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in the Northern Territory, all achieving positive outcomes in their communities through community engagement. The publication explicitly advocates a community development and empowerment approach to the challenges facing remote Northern Territory communities. In doing so, it critiques the top-down nature of the Northern Territory Emergency Response. The publication launch was attended by ANTaR National Director, Jacqueline Phillips and former Campaigns and Development Manager, Kate AubreyPoiner as well as Sally Fitzpatrick, David Cooper and Louise Weber (Campaign Sub-Committee members). There was a good turnout at the launch, including representatives from a number of organisations profiled in the publication. We also received some excellent media coverage, including ABC TV news. The publication can be downloaded at: http://antar. streetlinemedia.com. Following the launch, ANTaR distributed the publication to all Federal Members of Parliament and a broad range of community organisations and stakeholders. The publication was financially supported by Amnesty International Australia. 13 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR advocacy on Government consultations about the future of NT communities At the end of June, ANTaR wrote to the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Minister Macklin, expressing concern over the proposed process outlined in the Government’s Stronger Futures discussion paper. Concern was raised over the lack of notice given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about the consultations, the very short time-frame, and the complexity of the discussion paper, which would likely hinder access and understanding by communities. The letter urged the Government to extend the duration of the consultation period, to translate the discussion paper into community languages, to publish summary versions in simpler and more accessible language, and to ensure interpreters were present at all community consultations. It also encouraged the Government to abandon the language of ‘intervention’ or ‘emergency response’ in framing future policy initiatives in the NT, and to adopt a community development approach to future NT policy planning, underpinned by principles of community empowerment and capacity development. Reducing Imprisonment Rates – It’s time to take action! The serious over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system has been widely known by governments for many years. Recent statistics indicate that Aboriginal people comprise 26 per cent of the total prison population, and are imprisoned at a rate 14 times higher than nonIndigenous people. Image: Orin Zebest via Flickr ANTaR’s campaign to reduce this over-representation was launched on April 15 at a public march in Perth, at the invitation of the Aboriginal Legal Service of WA and the WA Deaths in Custody Watch Committee. April 15 marked 20 years since the publication of the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. 14 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR National Director, Jacqueline Phillips, spoke about the campaign at the march as well as an Australian Human Rights Commission forum on 12 April, and the Search Foundation ‘Progressive Breakfast’ event on April 14. The day the campaign was launched, a Joint National Call to Action was also released, with endorsements from a broad range of Aboriginal legal services, and human rights and community organisations. Key recommendations in the Call to Action included: The adoption of targets (including in the COAG Closing the Gap framework) to reduce and eliminate the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system; The adoption of a Justice Reinvestment framework to redirect resources over time from custodial facilities to community programs and services which address the causes of offending and overimprisonment; and Reforming law and policy to improve police accountability and standards in all places of detention, through the introduction of independent investigations of police conduct and independent inspections of all places of detention The Call to Action was endorsed by the following organisations: Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM) Indigenous Policy and Dialogue Research Unit Aboriginal Legal Service (WA) Indigenous Social Justice Association Amnesty International Australia Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning Research Unit Australian Lawyers for Human Rights Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR) Community Legal Centres NSW Deaths in Custody Watch Committee WA Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre Human Rights Alliance National Association for Community Legal Centres (NACLC) National Police Accountability Network of NACLC National Welfare Rights Network Northern Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) Human Rights Law Centre On the same day, an online campaign action was emailed to all of our 13 000 supporters urging them to email relevant Ministers, Shadow Ministers, minor parties and independents calling for action to reduce (and ultimately eliminate) over-representation, in accordance with the National Call to Action. Nearly 500 ANTaR supporters contacted MPs and Senators to express their concern about the continuing high rate of incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country and to encourage urgent action in this area. The National Office has been working with the campaign sub-committee in developing the campaign actions and materials. We have also worked closely with the Aboriginal Legal Services of Western Australia and NSW, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) secretariat and the state ANTaR branches in Queensland and NSW, along with other stakeholders and advocacy organisations. Our campaign on this critical issue will continue into 2011-12. 15 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ONLINE ENGAGEMENT Over the last financial year, ANTaR has continued our success in engaging, educating and inspiring people to support the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through online tools including E-Bulletins, Take Actions, the ANTaR website, Facebook, Twitter, and blog posts. Website The ANTaR website is colourful, appealing and informative. Information is regularly updated and supporters can easily participate in ANTaR’s campaigns. A core focus this year has been on creating links between the website, Facebook, and Twitter to enable supporters using one online ANTaR forum to become engaged in others. Apart from the home page, the most visited areas of the ANTaR website were the media page, the antiracism facts page, and the issues and campaigns page. The vast majority of ANTaR website users were referred there by Google. The chart below compares unique visitor numbers to the ANTaR website from the 2009/10 financial year and the 2010/11 financial year. Despite a decrease in website visitor numbers (from 91 283 in 2009/2010 to 84 936 in 2010/11), the chart indicates that ANTaR’s public campaigns continue to be successful in driving people to the ANTaR website for information. 16 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Social Media ANTaR has also been successfully utilising social networking sites. Facebook Facebook is a useful tool through which ANTaR can stay in regular dialogue with our supporters. It provides a forum in which we can advertise our events and advocacy work and contribute to current debates surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs, while also allowing supporters to comment and give feedback publicly. At the end of the 2010/2011 financial year ANTaR had: 1086 fans on the ANTaR Facebook page (up from 320 at the end of the previous financial year) 435 A Better Way campaign fans on Facebook 3150 Respect campaign fans on Facebook (up from 2762 at the end of the previous financial year) Twitter The ANTaR Twitter account was established in January 2011. At the end of the 2010/11 financial year, ANTaR had 1282 followers on Twitter. Every day, the posts that ANTaR makes on Twitter are consolidated into an ‘ANTaR Daily’: an email that takes the form of a newsletter and is distributed to its subscribers. Twitter is an important forum through which ANTaR can promote its campaigns, keep the public up-to-date with relevant information and events, and contribute to current debates. E-Bulletins This year ANTaR has sent out monthly E-Bulletins, letting our supporters know about our campaigns and advocacy work, suggesting ways they can participate, and providing information about available merchandise and donation options. Anyone can stay in touch with ANTaR through these electronic bulletins. The bulletins are short, engaging and accessible. To sign up, visit our website www.antar.org.au 17 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR Publications Submissions and papers Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Inquiry into the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Bill 2010 and the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2010 (July 2010) ANTaR Election Priorities 2010: Justice, Rights and Reconciliation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (August 2010) Election 2010: Towards justice, rights and reconciliation? An analysis of the major parties’ Indigenous affairs election platforms (August 2010) A Better Way: Success Stories in Aboriginal community-control in the Northern Territory (October 2010) Submission to Australian Government discussion papers: Leading practice agreements: maximising outcomes from native title benefits; and Native title, Indigenous development and Tax Consultation Paper (November 2010) Are We There Yet? Ten years on from the Decade of Reconciliation: A Reconciliation Progress Report (November 2010) Submission to the Indigenous Economic Development Strategy: Draft for Consultation and Action Plan 2010-12 (December 2010) Response to Law Council’s Draft Position Paper on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians (December 2010) Submission to the House of Representatives Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Issues: Inquiry into the high level of involvement of Indigenous juveniles and young adults in the criminal justice system (January 2011) Submission to the Federal Budget 2011-12 (January 2011) Submission to Inquiry into Indigenous economic development in Queensland and review of the Wild Rivers (Environmental Management) Bill 2010 (February 2011) Joint National Call to Action to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system (April 2011) Speeches Keynote Speech to Australian Medical Students’ Associations / AMA annual National Leadership Development Seminar Gala Dinner (Dr Janet Hunt, 30 August 2010) Lecture to University of Sydney Koori Centre students on Social Justice and Health (Jacqueline Phillips, 20 September 2010) Lecture to University of Sydney Government students on Campaign Management: Close the Gap (Jacqueline Phillips, 21 September 2010) Speech at Letters Patent Commemoration, South Australia (Peter Lewis, 19 February 2011) Speech to Banyule Local Reconciliation Group, Ivanhoe (Peter Lewis, 21 February 2011) Speech at Closing the Gap Conference Workshop, Novotel, Melbourne (Peter Lewis, 24 March) Speech to Altona Rotary Club (Peter Lewis, 4 April 2011) Speech on campaign to reduce imprisonment, Australian Human Rights Commission forum, Redfern, Sydney (Jacqueline Phillips, 12 April 2011) Presentation to Search Foundation Progressive Breakfast on ANTaR campaigns (Jacqueline Phillips, 14 April 2011) Launch of ANTaR’s National Campaign to Reduce Imprisonment, Deaths in Custody Rally, Perth (Jacqueline Phillips, 15 April 2011) Presentation on justice reinvestment to Gamarada Public Information Session (Jacqueline Phillips, 9 June 2011) 18 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Presentation to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (NATSILS) meeting on imprisonment (Jacqueline Phillips, 22 June 2011) Talk at Our Generation Film Screening, The Hub, Melbourne (Peter Lewis, 29 June 2011) Media Releases and Opinion Articles ‘Constitution Day call for election commitment to reform’ (9 July 2010) ‘ANTaR welcomes Greens ‘Justice Reinvestment’ initiative’ (5 August 2010) ‘ANTaR welcomes moves towards Constitutional recognition of First Australians’ (9 August 2010) ‘ANTaR welcomes the Coalition’s commitment to Constitutional recognition of First Australians’ (10 August 2010) ‘Constitutional commitments a highlight in election campaign with little focus on Indigenous issues’ (19 August 2010) ‘NRL shows leadership to Close the Gap’ (20 August 2010) ‘Wyatt’s victory an historic result’ (1 September 2010) ‘ANTaR welcomes renewed focus on Indigenous Australia’ (8 September 2010) ‘Indigenous health must remain key focus’ (13 September 2010) ‘ANTaR welcomes change of heart on Indigenous Health Minister’ (14 September 2010) ‘Aboriginal health restored to its proper priority’, Jacqueline Phillips, Online Opinion (17 September 2010) ANTaR launch: ‘A Better Way: Success stories in Aboriginal community control in the NT’ (22 October 2010) ‘Seize opportunity of new decade to advance reconciliation’ (19 November 2010) ‘Expert Panel announcement an important step on the road to Reconciliation’ (23 December 2010) ‘ANTaR pays tribute to Pete Postlethwaite’s support for Aboriginal reconciliation’ (4 January 2011) ‘ANTaR Welcomes Coalition Openness on Constitutional Recognition’ (8 January 2011) ‘Australia Day an opportunity to start rethinking the nation’ (25 January 2011) ‘Push for Budget surplus must not impede increasing investment in Closing the Gap’ (4 February 2011) ‘ANTaR welcomes ongoing commitment to deliver on Closing the Gap targets’ (9 February 2011) ‘Social Justice Commissioner reports show governments the way forward’ (11 February 2011) ‘Barometer cause for optimism but we need to build trust’ (14 February 2011) ‘Close the Gap campaign 5 Years On: Governments and Community must maintain the momentum’ (10 March 2011) ‘Broad support for Call to Action to reduce Indigenous imprisonment’ (15 April 2011) ‘ANTaR Welcomes Elected Co-Chairs of National Congress’ (19 April 2011) ‘Report confirms reducing over-imprisonment is critical to close the gap’ (5 May 2011) ‘Sorry Day: A reminder of unfinished business’ (26 May 2011) ‘4 years on – Time to shift focus from intervention to partnership’ (20 June 2011) ‘Welcome boost but time for Aboriginal justice to be national priority’ (29 June 2011) 19 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR’s Rights Stuff Merchandise Program Promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ economic and community development ANTaR’s Rights Stuff merchandise program is Australia’s only catalogue solely dedicated to promoting and supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enterprise. The Rights Stuff program works to generate economic, cultural and social benefits for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by offering a range of vibrant and thoughtful products to Australians and to the world. In doing so, ANTaR promotes a more just and equitable Australia. The sale of ANTaR manufactured products, such as ANTaR greeting cards, cross-subsidises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community enterprises and fledgling businesses. This year, the Rights Stuff catalogue supported more than 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enterprises, community groups and individuals by promoting and selling their goods. Groups included MiiMi Creations, Boweraville NSW and Bima Wear, Bathurst Island. Any profit that is generated through ANTaR’s Rights Stuff merchandise program is reinvested to advance our mission to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year the Rights Stuff catalogue featured cards that were produced by ANTaR and showcased the work of Papulankutja Artists. Papulankutja was established as a result of the Ngaayatjarra people walking off Warburton mission and returning to their land in the 1970s. In 2001, they established Papulankutja Artists. Papulankutja artists became incorporated in 2004 and opened their own studio in 2009. The sale of these cards financially supported the work of both ANTaR and the Papulankutja Artists. Papulankutja artist 20 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR NAIDOC Week Artshow, Seaview Gallery, Dulwich Hill Over the past year, ANTaR Merchandise was involved in a number of community events. These events included Yabun, Sydney University Reconciliation Week, the Aboriginal Teachers’ Conference and the NSW Teachers’ Federation Conference. On 1 July 2010, ANTaR Merchandise in conjunction with Marrickville Council held a NAIDOC Week art exhibition to showcase the work of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. This event was highly successful with most artists selling at least one piece of art. All proceeds from the sale of paintings went directly to exhibiting artists. Income generated through Merchandise met financial projections for both a short-range month-to-month plan for the calendar year and a long-range, quarter-to-quarter five year plan. This was due in part to an increase in mail order and shop sales from an expanded customer base. Miimi creations 21 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR NATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORT 22 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR NATIONAL Balance Sheet As of June 2011 This Year Last Year $180,947.86 $151,660.92 $2,615.90 $1,180.00 Total Recievables $10,855.66 $14,861.37 Total Other Current Assets $18,392.99 $14,377.00 Total Fixed Assets $12,316.90 $3,828.44 Total Stock on Hand $32,312.87 $25,469.86 $257,442.18 $211,377.59 Total Current Liabilities $24,244.97 $3,082.30 Total Payroll Liabilities $5,198.63 $4,585.11 Total Tax Liabilities $8,247.09 $8,001.92 Total Payroll Provisions $33,625.73 $26,689.02 Total Other Liabilities $10,137.21 $16,072.21 $8,558.40 $1,723.31 $90,012.03 $60,153.87 $167,430.15 $151,223.72 $151,223.72 $143,492.48 $16,206.43 $7,731.24 $167,430.15 $151,223.72 Assets Total Cash at Bank Total Cash on Hand Total Assets Liabilities Total Inter-State Office Amounts Due Total Liabilities Net Assets Equity Retained Earnings Current Year Earnings Total Equity 23 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR NATIONAL Profit & Loss July 2010 through June 2011 This Year Last Year $510,015.92 $482,549.70 Total Grants $31,500.00 $0.00 Total Merchandise $95,264.40 $92,612.27 $687.61 $446.28 $637,467.93 $575,608.25 $57,668.69 $47,591.77 $579,799.24 $528,016.48 $68,518.14 $65,255.63 $260,822.18 $233,638.02 $55,856.55 $15,563.09 Total Fundraising and Promotion $110,532.89 $133,309.10 Total Travel and Accommodation $10,664.32 $7,115.87 $6,420.64 $4,142.00 $33,959.18 $36,177.05 $1,149.00 $387.00 $21,256.82 $27,333.54 Total Expenses $569,179.72 $522,921.30 Operating Profit $10,619.52 $5,095.18 $5,607.33 $2,938.12 $20.42 $302.06 $16,206.43 $7,731.24 Income Total Fundraising Miscellaneous Income Total Income Cost of Sales Total Cost of Sales Gross Profit Total State ANTaR Disbursements Total Staff Expenses Total Community Engagement Total Professional Fees Total Facilities Total Depreciation Total Other General Expenses Total Other Income Total Other Expenses Net Profit / (Loss) 24 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR NATIONAL GOVERNANCE Improvements to ANTaR Governance During 2010-11 ANTaR formalised a mutual accountability policy between the state bodies and the national body. This provides for formal accountability by the national body to the states and vice versa. In particular the mutual accountability framework aims: to ensure financial accountability and transparency in the use of funds raised. to ensure organisations are active and report to members in appropriate ways including regular meetings and an AGM where incorporated. to provide a mechanism to identify and assist under-performing groups. to ensure regular participation by all states in National Management Committee meetings. ANTaR will continue to regularly review its processes and institute changes to improve accountability and transparency. ANTaR would also welcome comments and suggestions on these issues from its members and supporters. ANTaR National Management Committee (NMC) 2010-11 Executive Ordinary Members Dr Janet Hunt - President (July 2010- November 2010) Dr Peter Lewis - President (December 2010 - current) Angus Frith - Vice President Phil Anderson - Treasurer Sally Fitzpatrick - Secretary (part year) Andrew Bartlett - Secretary (part year) ANTaR ACT Matthew Fenwick and Katherine May (part year); Janet Hunt (part year) ANTaR NSW Bob White (part year); Phil Bradley (part year) ANTaR NT David Cooper and Louise Weber Organisational Members Phil Glendenning (Edmund Rice Centre) Rodney Dillon (Amnesty International) Andrew Meehan (Oxfam) Brian Wyatt (National Native Title Council) Sheena Watt (Australian Council of Trade Unions, from May 2011) ANTaR QLD Andrew Bartlett (part year); Melanie Wright (part year) At large Members ANTaR WA Carolyn Betts (part year); Stephen Hall (part year); John McBain (part year) Gary Highland (July 2010 – November 2010) Darren Dick ANTaR SA Glenn Giles (part year); Lynette Crocker (part year) ANTaR VIC - Jill Webb ANTaR National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group Members (2010-11) Professor Larissa Behrendt Linda Burney Professor Mick Dodson Professor Patrick Dodson Olga Havnen Dr Bill Jonas Professor Marcia Langton Professor Lowitja O’Donoghue Aden Ridgeway Professor Lester Irabinna Rigney David Ross Peter Yu 25 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Update from State and Territory Affiliates ACT Campaigning and Events The main campaign focus for ACT ANTaR in 2010-11 was addressing the high rate of incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Territory. Incarceration was the main theme for the David Hunter Memorial Lecture in November 2010, where the Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda talked about national issues, while the CEO of the Aboriginal Justice Centre, Brendan Church, provided a local perspective. In early 2011, ACT ANTaR wrote to the then Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope, supporting the creation of an Indigenous Friend position. This person would support young offenders though restorative justice processes, as the rate of participation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander offenders had been very low. Subsequently, the ACT Government announced the creation of such a role in the 2011-12 Budget. ANTaR continued to work closely with other organisations advocating for Indigenous rights. In October we supported ReconciliACT, a student reconciliation group, with a small Sea of Hands and a stall at the Australian National University for the national campus Day of Action for better Indigenous representation in Student Unions. We provided financial support to the Working Group for Aboriginal Rights to host the New Way Summit at the Tent Embassy over Easter. The group also supported the National Sorry Day Committee and several members assisted with the evening event on National Sorry Day in June. As in past years, ANTaR ACT had stalls at a number of community festivals, selling merchandise and talking to people about rights and reconciliation. This year, we had stalls at NAIDOC on the Peninsula in July 2010, the Woden Valley Community Festival in November 2011, and the National Folk Festival (with the National Sorry Day Committee) at Easter 2011. In January 2011, ANTaR ACT had a stall at a special screening of Liyarn Ngarn held at the National Museum of Australia. We sold copies of the DVD, with all proceeds going to the Lingiari Foundation. Committee and Administration The central committee meets monthly, with a core of committed volunteers. We were sorry to farewell Kat May, who has returned to the UK to study, and we acknowledge her work, particularly in building relationships with other organisations. Another long-term member, Dr Chris Bourke, was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly, following the retirement of another Member. We congratulate Chris, who is the first Aboriginal member of the Assembly. The committee sends out regular updates to a wider group of supporters, including an Annual Newsletter just before the David Hunter Memorial Lecture. The major events are well supported by this group and the broader community. 26 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 NEW SOUTH WALES Campaign focus In addition to supporting ANTaR National activities, ANTaR NSW has applied its limited resources to focused campaigning on specific issues affecting Aboriginal people in NSW. These have included juvenile justice and justice reinvestment, stolen trust funds and Close the Gap health issues. This focus has been clearly emphasised in a new membership leaflet and fact sheets on each issue. We have committed some of our accumulated savings to employing a Campaigns Manager two days per week. Representations to new government Sam Jeffries (inaugural co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples), Sally Fitzpatrick (ANTaR NSW President) and the Hon. Victor Dominello MP (NSW Minister for Aboriginal Affairs). After 16 years, the NSW Government changed in March 2011. In the months before the election, ANTaR NSW met with a number of shadow ministers to make ourselves known and raise issues in the police, juvenile justice, education and Aboriginal affairs portfolios. We secured a meeting with the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs less than a week after his swearing in. We have followed up with representations, briefings and deputations to the new ministers, in an effort to maintain momentum towards some of the changes they foreshadowed and to make sure the rhetoric about consultation and partnership with Aboriginal people is applied in practice. Events In November 2010 we convened a ‘Reconciliation in Parliament’ seminar on Indigenous Juvenile Justice, addressed by a former Minister for Juvenile Justice, the Opposition spokesman (now the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice) and a representative of the Aboriginal Legal Service. Our May 2011 Annual General Meeting heard keynote addresses from the incoming Minister for Aboriginal Affairs on the new Government’s direction and from Mr Sam Jeffries about the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples and the Expert Panel on Constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Sea of Hands at Brookvale Oval, NRL Close the Gap Round 27 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Our Campaigns Manager and students from Biala Aboriginal Hostel managed a Sea of Hands installation at Brookvale Oval for the NRL Close the Gap Round. Sally Fitzpatrick, ANTaR NSW president, was guest of the Premier at the parliamentary vote to amend the NSW Constitution to recognise Aboriginal people. Communication We have published two eight-page newsletters during the year. Printing and distributing the newsletters is a significant budget and time commitment. We recognise that we need to take stock of this effort, as well as our website, electronic bulletins and social media as part of a comprehensive communication strategy with our membership and beyond. A coalition of Aboriginal peak bodies in NSW has been launched. ANTaR NSW has approached the coalition (CAPO) to propose consultative arrangements which would help guide our campaigning and priority setting. We have also approached the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence for advice about developing on-line consultative channels, specifically with young Aboriginal people. QUEENSLAND ANTaR Qld had another very successful 12 months campaigning on a number of fronts including Closing the Gap and Reducing Imprisonment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders. The fourth ANTaR Queensland Annual Close the Gap in Indigenous Health Award event was co-hosted once again by the Queensland Premier Anna Bligh in Parliament House and awarded to the communitycontrolled health service Girudala Coop from Bowen in North Queensland. The October event was attended by over 17 Queensland MPs, the Director-General for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships and included representatives from Queensland Aboriginal and Islander Health Council (QAIHC) and Australian Medical Association Queensland (AMAQ). The Keynote address was given by Professor Boni Robertson from Griffith University on the importance of holistic service delivery in closing the health gap in Queensland. The previous year’s winner, Goori House, was there to pass on the Award to the 2010 recipients. In November, ANTaR Qld alongside the Project 10% Reducing Imprisonment partners submitted a proposal to the Premier entitled Reducing Imprisonment: A Three Year Plan. This submission was the result of 18 months of Statewide community consultation on what is needed to reduce the high rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander imprisonment in Queensland. The outcome of the submission was the release of a Draft Justice Strategy by the Queensland Government pulling in strategies by the Departments of Justice, Corrective Services, Police, Education, Employment and Communities. ANTaR Qld and Project 10% partners then responded to the Draft with detailed feedback and recommendations. The final Strategy is expected to be released before the end of the year. In May 2011, ANTaR Qld and our imprisonment campaign partner organisations, Murri Watch and the, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Legal and Advocacy Service, were awarded the Premier’s Partnership Award for Reconciliation at a ministerial ceremony in Cairns. Alongside a year of active campaigning, the Queensland Sea of Hands installations have continued to grow with increasing activities being held in regional centres fanning out from the South East. 28 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Caption: Project 10% Partners Murri Watch, ATSIWLAS and ANTaR Qld receive the 2011 Premier’s Reconciliation Award for Partnerships. Pictured left to right Nancy Bamaga, Kitty Carra and Ken Georgetown For those on the ANTaR Qld committee and working groups it has been a busy year not made any easier by the terrible flooding and cyclone Yasi. We hope the new year will bring more sunshine and a fresh new crop of energetic volunteers. We wish to thank all our wonderful supporters from all over the state. SOUTH AUSTRALIA Events ANTaR SA participated in many exciting events over 2010/11. These included: NAIDOC Family Fun Day, July 2010 - a joint display/stall with the SA Journey of Healing, which was also staffed by the Roma Mitchell Human Rights Volunteers. South Australia Proclamation Day, 28 December 2010, which was attended by many dignitaries. ANTaR SA helped the Kaurna people’s participation and provided a stall, gave out Treaty calendars, and displayed Letters Patent Day banners. Survival Day, 26 January 2011 - ANTaR SA held a joint display/stall at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute with the Journey of Healing SA. It was also staffed by the Roma Mitchell Human Rights Volunteers. Letters Patent Day, 19 February 2011 - ANTAR SA held the 175th anniversary of the Letters Patent at Warriparinga Living Kaurna Cultural Centre jointly with the Roma Mitchell Human Rights Volunteer Centre, SA Journey of Healing, City of Holdfast Bay, City of Marion per Warriparinga Living Kaurna Cultural Centre. Peter Lewis, National ANTaR President, spoke along with Aboriginal and guest speakers at the commemoration. Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition 22 and 23 May - ANTaR SA members attended the Adelaide consultation on Constitutional Recognition. ANTaR SA attended both of the meetings conducted by the Expert Panel at the invitation of FaHCSIA. At the first meeting we were represented by the State Coordinator, Senior Larrakia and Wulna Aboriginal elder John Browne, another Aboriginal steering committee member, Kaurna Ngangki Burka (Senior Woman) Lynette Crocker, and by Patrick Byrt. The second meeting was attended by five ANTaR SA members. Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement Sorry Day event 26 May - State Coordinator and ALRM Secretary /Treasurer, John Browne, chaired the meeting. John spoke at the ALRM Sorry Day meeting as Chairperson of the Journey of Healing. ALRM meeting - Justice Agreement with the SA government - State Co-ordinator, John Browne, chaired this Aboriginal community meeting to formulate agreement. The Aboriginal Way newspaper carried details about Sorry Day, National Reconciliation and NAIDOC Week events. These were also published in the June ALRM newsletter. Sorry Day, 26 May 2011 - ANTaR SA held a joint stall with Journey of Healing SA. There were Aboriginal artists on stage every moment of the day, which was attended by 2000 people. Speakers included the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs Grace Portolesi, Neil Gillespie - Director of ALRM, the Chief Executive of Anglicare SA and former South Australian Premier Lynn Arnold, Stolen Generations members, John Browne (State Co-ordinator and Chair of ANTaR SA and Journey of Healing) and Joy Makepeace from the UniSA David Unaipon College of Indigenous Education and Research. 29 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 Mabo Day, 3 June 2011 - ANTaR SA attended the Mabo Day Reconciliation Down Rundle undertaken to advance the theme of Constitutional Recognition. The ANTaR SA booth, which promoted the theme with publicity materials and T-shirts, was shared with the Journey of Healing SA and Amnesty International. Participants included volunteers from Roma Mitchell Human Rights Volunteer Service, Kaurna Elder, Lynette Crocker, Denise Skiffington - President of SA-NT Branch of Amnesty International, John Browne, Senior Academic Advisor from the University of South Australia, and Anangu Aboriginal visitors Willie Edwards and Ken Pumani from Mimili, South Australia. The FaHCSIA Reconciliation Week Grant received by ANTaR National also supported ANTaR SA’s reconciliation week activities, including in supporting Anangu community members from Mimili to play an active role in promoting the Constitutional Recognition program as part of National Reconciliation Week events. The contribution gave Aboriginal participants appropriate remuneration for travel and accommodation to assist with the dance cultural training (Inma) of the Alberton Primary School Aboriginal students dance troupe which performed on Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. ANTAR SA is supporting a Cultural Mapping project with the City of Holdfast Bay that has attracted involvement from the Multicultural Writers Association of Australia Inc., the Journey of Healing Association and Roma Mitchell Human Rights Volunteers. The intention is that the cultural mapping template will be created and used by other Local Government areas to extend Cultural Mapping across South Australia. VICTORIA Representations and Campaigning ANTaR Victoria’s major campaign in the 2010/2011 financial year was Lets Re-think the Nation, a campaign designed to get the conversation started around Constitutional reform, including the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution. Several forums were held to discuss these issues and further forums are planned for early in the new financial year at the Aborigines Advancement League, and RMIT. Joint Treaty Working Group meetings with Reconciliation Victoria continued to be held over the past year and ANTaR Victoria contributed to a paper on treaty-making that was presented at the National Native Title conference in June. Contributions were made to development of the Aboriginal issues/Reconciliation policies of the major parties of Victoria through a variety of forums during the year. 30 Letters Patent Day SA, 19 February 2011 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR Victoria’s President, Peter Lewis, and other ANTaR Victoria Committee or Management members have spoken at various events including: Peoples Voice - a forum on Aboriginal rights where Peter spoke alongside Robbie Thorpe and the Barmah Millewa Collective The ‘Greens School’ Forum RMIT Indigenous research seminar Neighbourhood Railway House, Bendigo Events In partnership with Reconciliation Victoria, ANTaR Victoria held an extremely well attended Reconciliation forum in November just prior to the State election. Speakers included MP Richard Wynne, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, MP Greg Barber, Greens Aboriginal Affairs Spokesperson, MP Jeanette Powell, Shadow Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Richard Frankland, film maker, author and academic. The forum was followed by AGMs for both organisations. ANTaR Victoria held a film night during Reconciliation Week and also participated in a number of events including The Human Rights Film Festival, the Sustainable Living Festival, History Teachers’ Association Victoria conference, Belgrave Survival Day, Songlines Share the Spirit Festival, the Victorian Aboriginal Youth Sport and Recreation (VAYSAR) carnival and Melbourne Aboriginal Youth, Sport and Recreation (MAYSAR) events. Support In the last year, ANTaR Victoria has continued its activities with Local Reconciliation Groups throughout Victoria, including holding quarterly meetings and applying for grants on their behalf. A speaker’s skills forum is planned for local groups in July as well as a forum on Constitutional recognition. ANTaR Victoria has continued to provide support to Reconciliation Victoria as they prepare to re-launch the organisation following the receipt of further funding. ANTaR Victoria has also continued its support of nonaffiliated groups including: the Victorian Close the Gap Coalition Coordinated by VACCHO the Northern Close the Gap in Indigenous Employment Campaign with their awards ceremony the Melbourne Anti-Intervention Collective Concerned Australians with the launch of the book ‘Walk with Us’ Screenings of ‘Our Generation’ Media Throughout the year, ANTaR Victoria has received significant media attention on 3CR and 3RRR radio for Australia Day, Sorry day, NAIDOC week and Reconciliation Week. Peter Lewis also had an article published in The Age in December 2010 (with Richard Frankland). Administration This year ANTaR Victoria said goodbye to Office and Volunteer Co-ordinators Charlotta Lomas and Emily Chauvel, and in April welcomed Jem Bamford to the role. The organisation continues to be supported by an enthusiastic and passionate team of volunteers. 31 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 WESTERN AUSTRALIA Committee In this financial year, ANTaR WA farewelled Carolyn Betts (long serving Committee member and former Chair). We thank her for so passionately and eloquently articulating the views of ANTaR WA in the promotion of rights, justice and reconciliation. ANTaR WA has extended membership of the Committee and is pleased to welcome five new members. The Committee is also piloting a strategy that engages rural representatives of our geographically and demographically dispersed State. In keeping with the objectives of ANTaR National, ANTaR WA is seeking to further develop their strategic plan drafted in 2008. This plan will provide direction by the way of key policy priorities, performance indicators and accountable reporting. Plaques A plaque which “acknowledges the Noongar people as the traditional owners of these lands and waters” has been developed and distributed by ANTaR WA. The plaques are a tangible example of respect for country, and are being offered to organisations and businesses within the region for $100 each. ANTaR WA is pleased that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous organisations and businesses are purchasing the plaques, and that the profit from this initiative is directed into other projects that promote and further our organisational aims. Community Some events that ANTaR WA has participated in or supported in Perth include (but are not limited to): Close the Gap day (24 March), a rally organised to mark 20 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (15 April), and Sorry Day (26 May). As the Committee re-establishes an ‘office’ to house ANTaR WA, communication processes and procedures will be reviewed. ANTaR WA acknowledges the need for better engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and for the effective dissemination of information to its members, and is considering new mechanisms to achieve this. Sea of hands at the Community Voices event about uranium mining in WA. 32 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 SPECIAL THANK YOU Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Mick Gooda and staff of the Social Justice Unit Aboriginal Medical Service Alliance Northern Territory Alan Wilkinson Alex-Oonagh Redmond Amnesty International Australia Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA) Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA) Mapuru Homeland community Marion Brown Murray Bunton and Streetline Media Natasha Hanckel-Spice North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) Olga Havnen Oxfam Professor Patrick Dodson Patrick Lesslie Betty Hounslow Rachael Holland Central Australian Aboriginal Congress Reconciliation Australia Central Land Council Associate Professor Sarah Maddison Corinne Roberts Severine de Winkel, Sevdesign Edmund Rice Centre Sophie Peer Emma Franklin Sunrise Health Service Ethel-Anne Grundy Sunita Bose Frennie Beytagh Sylvie Ellsmore Greenhouse Marketing Services Tammy Solonec Heide Smith Tangentyere Council Inc. Jackie Hartley Tom Powell and Randal Ross, Red Dust Healing Janene Collins Traditional Credit Union Janita Klein Warlpiri Youth Development Aboriginal Corporation Jon Altman Waltja Tjutangku Palyapayi Aboriginal Corporation Laynhapuy Homelands Association inc. 180 Degrees Consulting Leanne Townsend Regular Volunteers Allan West Margaret Day Chris Maltby Naomi Crago Enid Hokin Ray Lee Frederick Lane Stephen Garrett Iain Watt Stuart Lawrence Jean Murphy Violet Stokoe-Miller John Burnheim 33 ANTaR Annual Report 2010/11 ANTaR National Staff National Director Jacqueline Phillips Campaigns and Development Manager Kate Aubrey-Poiner Campaigns Manager Andrew Bartlett (from December 2010) (to November 2010) Finance Officer Robyne Stacey Merchandise Coordinator Lesley Pepper Donor Support Officer Adrian Rigg ANTaR State and Territory Contact details ANTaR National PO Box 568 Dulwich Hill NSW 2203 Tel: 02 9564 0594 Fax: 02 9564 0195 Email: antar@antar.org.au www.antar.org.au ANTaR Queensland Room 10, 25-27 Cordelia Street South Brisbane QLD 4101 Tel: 07 3844 9800 Fax: 07 3844 9562 Email: office@antarqld.org.au http://antarqld.org.au/ ANTaR Victoria 67 Brunswick St Fitzroy VIC 3065 Tel: 03 9419 3613 Email: antar@antarvictoria.org.au www.antarvictoria.org.au ANTaR South Australia c/- PO Box 4018 Norwood South SA 5067 Tel: 08 8227 0170 (voice mail) Tel: c/- 08 8362 1199 (office message) Fax: 08 8362 0410 Email: antarsa@internode.on.net http://antarsa.auspics.org.au/ ANTaR New South Wales PO Box 568 Dulwich Hill NSW 2203 Tel: 02 9564 0594 Fax: 02 9564 0195 Email: antarnsw@antar.org.au www.antar.org.au/nsw 34 ANTaR Western Australia PO Box 576 North Perth WA 6906 Tel: 0421 702 501 Email: antarwa@hotmail.com ANTaR ACT PO Box 7138 Watson ACT 2602 Email: antaract@yahoo.com.au ANTaR Northern Territory PO Box 2528 Parap NT 0804 Tel: 0418 486 310 Email: antarnt@gmail.com Photo by Rusty Stewart PO Box 568 Dulwich Hill NSW 2203 Tel: (02) 9564 0594 Fax: (02) 9564 0195 www.antar.org.au antar@antar.org.au
